Group Health Insurance options in Dubai

The necessity of health insurance has been realised amidst the uncertainties of the pandemic and a rise in expenses related to medical services. Having a health insurance plan is beneficial in such cases, with easy and affordable access to top-tier medical infrastructure ensured by the plan in most cases. However, while everyone is aware of individual plans in the category, one can often come across the term group health insurance yet continue to remain unclear about its connotation. 

Ideally, group health insurance safeguards a corporation against the medical expenses incurred by an employee. As per the Dubai Health Authority mandate, it is essential for all companies and institutions to cover their employees under unified health insurance. Besides covering a vast number of employees under one plan, the best feature of this type of insurance is that it can often be obtained without requiring any formal or detailed documentation from the employees. 

If you are a part of an organisation and wish to comprehensively understand the group health insurance options in Dubai, the following write-up is just for you. Keep reading to know how you can avail of several benefits with a group health insurance plan in Dubai.

What is Group Health Insurance?

Designed to offer comprehensive insurance coverage to the employees of various organisations, group health insurance enables access to health insurance policies to the companies at low rates. One can note that the covered members gain insurance at a lower cost as the risk is unified across various policyholders. The benefit of such plans is that they help both employees and employers gain access to vital financial aid with the help of diverse premium and cover options. 

These plans function in work two-ways - organisations get policy covers at lower rates than individual insurance covers for all while the documentation process is effortless for the insured. The key difference between group health insurance and general life insurance occurs in the form of the premium, which is paid by the company as per the laws laid down by the Dubai Health Authority. This premium is regulated either by the group size or by the last portfolio execution.

Types of Group Health Insurances

The following is the synopsis of the common group health insurance types:

1. Fully-insured Plans: Among the more conventional insurance plans, the insurance firm takes charge of the risks involved in incurring healthcare costs here. These insurance plans exact the annual premium from your company so that employees can avail of the insurance benefits. Some major factors that are taken into consideration during the process include group size and health, group median age, claim portfolio organisation, job profiles, and the extent of coverage and add-ons selected. 
2. Self-funded Plans: Here, the entire responsibility to bear the costs of the employees’ health is on the respective employer. These self-funded plans generally have affordable rates and help the employer regulate a plan. While conglomerates can seek such plans, small and medium-sized businesses usually opt for them. Moreover, companies can also go for a partially self-funded policy that includes stop-loss insurance. 
3. Level-funded Plans: Mainly depending on a monthly payment rate, the insurance company here decides the premium for your small-sized group with the help of census information. This rate depends on aspects like claim allowances, stop-loss premiums, and fees. After the completion of the year, the insurer will modify the monthly level as per the group’s performance. 
4. Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO): Under HMO, the group members are usually covered via monthly premium payments similar to a conventional group health insurance dubai plan. As providers of these plans have a vast network of healthcare services and locations, HMOs are generally more comprehensive and feasible than other insurance plan types. 

Benefits of Group Health Insurance in Dubai

Listed below are some advantages of group health insurance for the companies:

• Negligible Waiting Time: It has often been observed that employees prefer to work with a company that has group health insurance. Having a group health insurance plan from any of the leading providers in the UAE is advantageous, as employees get covered the moment they join the organisation with an insurance plan. Employees can easily secure reimbursements or perks of cashless admission into the hospitals in case of illness or medical emergencies. 
• Direct Billing: With group health insurance, you can go for direct hospitalisation in the hospitals covered in the network if required. As a covered member, you always have the option to choose a hospital on the network to avail of the facility of cashless hospitalisation. All the expenses within the specified cover limit are paid off without any hassles. 
• Pre and Post Medical Expenses: While most plans cover major surgical and other medical treatments, several group health plans in the UAE also cover the costs of medicines, treatments, ambulance services, and so on. This ensures that the financial burden of insured members is considerably lowered.
• No Medical Check-up: Unlike individual health insurance plans that require you to go for a compulsory health check-up, most group health insurance plans do not have any such mandates. 
• Costs Covered: There are two types of costs covered under Group Health Insurance plans. They include expenses related to 

• In-Patient Services - Hospitalisation, intensive care, maternity services, ambulance services, doctor visitation, emergency cover, diagnostic and surgical procedures
• Outpatient Facilities - Day-care and minor surgical treatments, vaccinations, clinical examinations, medicines and follow-up treatments, investigative treatments, maternity services, and doctor consultation
• Additional Covers: Dental procedures, emergency assistance, mental health, alternate treatment like homeopathy, chiropractic, and Ayurveda, worldwide coverage, and preventive and wellness services

Factors Affecting the Cost of Premium for Group Health Insurance Plans

The following aspects are examined when determining the amount of premium to be paid:

• The number of employees protected in the plan 
• Size of the company
• Coverage provided to the employees under the insurance plan 
• Number of dependents of the employees insured in the plan
• Employees' age, gender, marital status, salary range, and nationality 
• Company’s performance last year 

Best Group Health Insurance Plan in Dubai

Following are some of the best group health insurance plans available in Dubai

Eligibility Criteria

Several eligibility aspects are worth examining when applying for a Group Health Insurance Plan in the UAE. Elaborated below are some of the essential criteria to consider for your eligibility:

Business or Corporation Eligibility Criteria:

• The company should be registered and approved by the law for abiding by the regulations mandated by the UAE government. 
• The organisation is required to have the minimum number of employees mentioned in the plan while registering for a Group Insurance Plan. 

Employees’ Eligibility Criteria:

• The workers at the company have to be on the company payroll as well as on the Ministry of Labour list. 
• The employees must be full-time working personnel and have an approved visa the company issued. 

Dependents’ Eligibility Criteria:

• The dependents usually include legal spouses and children. If there are any more dependents, their coverage in the plans has to be verified with the insurance provider first.
• The covered dependents will be sponsored by the employees. 

How to Register for Group Health Insurance?

You can effortlessly apply for group health insurance either through our website or the website/branch of your preferred insurance company. Given below is the breakdown of how to apply for an insurance plan.

1. Visit the ‘group health insurance option’ in the pop-up menu under the Health Insurance tab on our website.
2. This will direct you to the lead page where you can fill in the details about your company and the employee strength. You will also be required to enter the details about the number of employees that will be covered under a particular plan. 
3. You will be directed to the quotes page where you can look for the best insurance plans from several options. Once you select any plan, you can fill out the forms related to the plan of your preference. A consultant will contact you and provide details regarding the same. 

Several companies in the UAE are opting for traditional group health insurance plans to financially protect their employees against hazards and accidents. Generally, the premium is paid by the organisation and the rates are comparatively lower than individual health insurance plans taken for each member. Employees covered under such plans can take admission in any hospital in the network list and avail of the benefits like direct billing, cashless services, etc. 

For companies seeking to attract the best talent, it should be noted that employees often prefer to work with companies offering group health insurance plans. This ensures that they would not have to wait for financial processes in case of medical emergencies. Consequently, having a group health insurance plan is necessary for securing the employees’ health while attracting new ones.

FAQs

Q1: How to process insurance claims?

Ans: The procedure of getting the claims is quite straightforward. The insured can either choose direct billing if the treatment is carried out in a network hospital or ask for reimbursement for the costs incurred during the treatment. In case you are seeking treatment at a hospital not covered in the network, make sure to check if your availed services are covered under the policy. 

Q2: Can family-run businesses choose group medical insurance to cover the employees?

Ans: Family-operated businesses can always opt for group health insurance. The plans will cover the company’s partners, employees, and their dependents. 

Q3: Do group medical insurance plans include parents?

Ans: No. Generally, only individual insurance plans allow the option of including parents. Dependents under group health insurance usually include legal spouses and children. 

Q4: What are the ways to pay a group insurance premium?

Ans: The premium can be paid off using bank transfer, credit card, or cheque. 

Q5: Are already existing diseases covered under the insurance type?

Ans: Yes, already-existing illnesses are covered under the group health insurance plan as there is broadly no requirement for health check-ups by the employees during the issuance of the policy. However, if the group size is smaller than 20 employees, you would need to provide a medical declaration form for them and specify the pre-existing ailments.

Health Insurance Popular Searches

Health Insurance | Dubai Health Insurance Cost | Health Insurance for Kids | Health Insurance Plans for Family | Dental Insurance | Individual Health Insurance | Health Insurance Abu Dhabi | Medical Insurance Sharjah | How to check Medical Insurance status with Emirates ID | Best Health Insurance companies in UAE | Health Insurance for Parents | Maternity Insurance UAE